Peter Grieve, Talooby Angus, Rylstone, New South Wales paid top price for lot number four, Cluden Newry Hyperno L47 (AI), a Booroomooka Hyperno H605 son out of an A241 cow.

Mr Grieve said the bull had a “very sirey outlook about him.

‘He’s an outcross for our herd, his numbers were in the ballpark, for the most part,” Mr Grieve said.

“I bought my first Cluden Newry bull 31 years ago, we buy one from there, every four to five years.

“He’s going to add phenotype, he’s got strong growth figures, he’s an all round package - can’t see how he can be a failure, at this stage, as he has a very strong background, in the cow herd.”

Cluden Newry Hyperno equalled last year’s top price, which was achieved twice, by the Longford stud.

Sired by Booroomooka Hyperno H605, out of Cluden Newry Albina F139, he recorded a birth weight of +4.7kilograms, a 200 day weight of +49kg, a 400 day weight of +89kg and a 600 day weight of +120kg.

Hyperno, an August 2015 drop bull, had a scrotal circumference of +1.8, an eye muscle area of +6.3 square centimetres, a rib fat of -0.4 millimetres, rump fat of -0.8mm and an intramuscular fat (IMF) of +1.3per cent.

Stud principal Jock Hughes said King Island buyers were to the fore, with 17 bulls going offshore, while eight went to Victoria.

Mr Hughes said progeny of new bloodlines, introduced to the herd, also attracted strong interest.

They included Hyperno (10 sold, for an average of $8,300), Musgrave Big Sky (seven, at an average of $7,071) and Koojan Hills Estate H136 (six, averaging $7,417)

King Island’s Fred Perry, Millwood, picking up six bulls, while John Drysdale, Yarck, Victoria, bought four.

“I guess everyone has been getting good money for what they have been selling, so it has flowed through,” Mr Hughes said.

“We place a lot of emphasis on animal structure, that’s probably the drawcard.”

“I think everyone was happy, we increased the number of bulls sold, because we were trying to maintain reasonable prices for everyone.

“We’ll continue to do that, with a bigger bull drop, again next year, as we are increasing cow numbers, so there are more to select from.”

Last year’s result saw 55 of 59 bulls sold, with two going for $16,000, for an average of $5936.